Gunn apologised after old tweets in which he joked about paedophilia and rape were unearthed and widely shared online.

Amid the outrage generated by the disclosure, he was immediately removed by Disney on Friday as director of the franchise’s third instalment, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

But Bautista, who portrays Drax the Destroyer in the franchise, has taken to social media to say he is “not okay” with the decision to sack Gunn, whom he describes as “loving, caring and good natured”.

I will have more to say but for right now all I will say is this..@JamesGunn is one of the most loving,caring,good natured people I have ever met. He’s gentle and kind and cares deeply for people and animals. He’s made mistakes. We all have. Im NOT ok with what’s happening to him